Benson & Babb enriches the regional style scene
Photo by Colby Rabon
Ashley Smith makes a powerful statement about his three-decade-plus design career. “I’ve never tired of it,” he says. “I’m as excited about what I do today as I was when I graduated from Western Carolina University’s Interior Design program in 1990.” Smith owns the highly respected Benson & Babb Interiors, a full-service design firm and expansive showroom in the heart of downtown Hendersonville. There, he works alongside designer Lynn Brookshire and a highly skilled staff.
“We pride ourselves on embracing every job imaginable,” says Smith, “whether it’s a room refresh, kitchen or bath remodel, or designing a newly constructed home from start to finish. We approach every project with the same amount of enthusiasm and expertise.” Shoppers can also find gifts and home-décor pieces, as well as women’s accessories.
The firm entered Smith’s life in 1995, when a former colleague — a woman he’d worked with in Upstate South Carolina, including designing interiors for homes on Lake Keowee — called him. She told him Benson & Babb was looking to beef up their staff, and “[when] she asked if I’d be interested in living in Western North Carolina again, I didn’t have to think twice,” says Smith. “Next thing I knew, within six months, my friend had moved on, and I was the manager of the design department.”
The firm is named after its founder, custom-home builder Nathan Benson. “He later brought in Charlene Babb as his interior designer,” Smith explains. Babb eventually left the business and Benson retired, so Smith bought the business 20 years ago, keeping the name intact.
One key thing that sets Benson & Babb apart is their expansive showroom, fully stocked with North Carolina-made furniture — “many beautiful pieces and textures, so visitors can enjoy a true tactile, hands-on experience,” says Smith. “It’s the only way you’ll know if something will work in your home. You simply can’t do that shopping online.”
Touring the showroom with clients also allows Smith to get a real feel for what they like — and for what they’re like. “After a few spins around,” he says, “I get your taste, and I get you. It’s [in person] that I can take people outside their comfort zone.” He says it’s rewarding to hear a client say they’d never have considered a piece if he hadn’t shown it to them, “to which I always reply, ‘That’s why you’re here!’”
Smith is dedicated to building trust, since that’s the start of every great end result. Another big point of the process is proving that professional design services aren’t as out of reach as people may believe: “I’m thrilled to practice my craft and work within a budget of any scale.”
The sheer variety of clients keeps things interesting for Smith, as well. He mentions retirees from the UK, Barcelona, and other far-flung locales, “as well as young families with active lifestyles, and everyone in between. … I’ve enjoyed seeing the growth of Asheville and Western North Carolina. People want to be here, and that’s gratifying.”
Benson & Babb has endured its share of trials, too. “During the Recession, businesses were closing all around us — it was scary as could be. But it’s also when the beautiful 1925 building we’re in now became available.” Relocating, in 2008, from a small store in the county to the current high-traffic location “was a silver lining,” he says.
The pandemic caused the business’ closure for a time, too. Even then, though, “we came to work from 10am-2pm to wrap up projects,” states Smith. “We even had a wonderful client who helped keep us afloat by calling us weekly with a task or order. Thankfully, soon after, our phones were ringing and we filled our parking lot.”
Ultimately, the pandemic spawned Benson & Babb’s busiest two-and-a-half-year period, as many homebound residents reassessed how their spaces really worked for them — and began remodeling accordingly.
Photo by Colby Rabon
Thirty years in the field enriched his perspective: Smith has been able to observe the local vernacular’s drastic evolution in real time. “I’ve seen it go from over-the-top traditional with a high Tuscan flavor to more ‘Mountain Modern’ that’s simplified, punctuated with soothing colors and organic shapes, and objects made by artisans, like pottery,” he explains.
“Anyway,” he adds with a laugh, “there’s not a carved bear in sight.”
Benson & Babb Interiors, 300 North King St., Hendersonville. For more information, call 828-693-4909 or see bensonandbabbinteriors.com.